The library smelled faintly of paper and polish, a kind of stillness that made every sound stand out sharper than it should. Amara stood at the entrance, her bag slung across her shoulder, and tried not to look nervous. It wasn't their first time in the same space, but it would be their first real meeting just her and Adrian, the project that fate had tied them to, and a quiet corner waiting for them.
She spotted him almost instantly. Adrian was seated near the window, where the sunlight spilled onto the table and lit up the hard lines of his jaw. His posture was calm, deliberate, as if even the way he turned a page was done with care.
Amara took a breath, steadying her nerves, then made her way over.
"Hey," she said softly when she reached the table. "I hope I'm not late."
Adrian looked up, his expression unreadable for a beat before he shook his head. "No. You're fine." His voice was low, quiet, almost like the hush of the room itself.
Relief washed over her, and she slipped into the chair across from him. "Good," she said, setting her notebook down. "I hate keeping people waiting."
He gave a small nod, nothing more.
For a while, silence stretched between them as Amara pulled out her pen and textbook. She could feel the tension of it pressing against her chest. He wasn't unfriendly, but he wasn't making it easy either.
"So," she tried again, "I was thinking… we could divide the project into sections? Maybe each of us takes half, then we review together?"
Adrian's gaze lifted from his notes to her face. His eyes were steady, sharp in a way that made her pulse quicken. "That works," he said simply. "Which part do you want?"
It was more than one word, and for Amara, it felt like a victory. She smiled faintly. "I don't mind. Maybe I'll handle the introduction and data analysis? You could work on the literature review and conclusion?"
He considered it for a moment before giving a short nod. "Alright. That's fine."
She wrote it down quickly, partly to keep track and partly to hide the grin tugging at her lips. He was talking. Not much, but more than yesterday. More than the day before that.
They worked in silence after that, the sound of pens scratching and pages turning filling the space. Every so often, Amara would glance at him at the way his brow furrowed slightly when he was focused, the way he absentmindedly tapped the edge of his notebook when he paused to think. Little details she knew she shouldn't notice but couldn't help storing away.
After nearly half an hour, she cleared her throat. "So… how long do you usually spend on assignments? Like, do you prefer short study sessions, or should we block out longer times?"
Adrian leaned back slightly, his pen still between his fingers. "Depends," he said. "If the work's heavy, longer is better. But I don't like wasting time."
Amara chuckled softly. "Efficient. I like that."
A flicker of something surprise, maybe crossed his face, but it vanished almost immediately. He looked back at his notebook.
Still, it was enough to make Amara's heart flutter. A tiny shift, but she felt it.
"Okay, then," she pressed on gently. "How about we meet twice a week? Evenings? That way we won't have to rush."
Adrian glanced at her again, his eyes calm but steady. "Evenings are fine. Just not Fridays."
"Got it. No Fridays." She wrote it down in the margin of her notebook, her hand shaking slightly though she prayed it didn't show.
For the next hour, they worked in silence again, though this time it felt less stiff, less like strangers forced together and more like… something else. Not quite friends, not yet, but not nothing either.
At one point, Adrian reached for a book at the far end of the table, and as he did, his ID card slipped halfway out of his pocket again. Amara noticed instantly.
She smiled to herself, remembering how this whole thing had begun with that small, forgotten card. Fate, or coincidence. Either way, it had led her here.
As the clock struck six, Adrian closed his notebook. "That's enough for today."
Amara blinked, pulled out of her thoughts. "Already?"
His lips curved slightly not quite a smile, but close. "Better to stop while we're focused."
She laughed lightly. "You really are efficient."
He stood, slipping his books back into his bag with smooth, practiced motions. Amara watched him, realizing just how much space he seemed to take up without even trying. Calm. Quiet. Steady.
"Same time next week?" she asked as she packed her own things.
Adrian met her gaze, and for the briefest moment, there was something there. Not warmth exactly, but attention. Like he was truly seeing her for the first time.
"Same time," he said simply. Then he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out, leaving her sitting there with her heart thudding in her chest.
Amara sat frozen for a few seconds before letting out a shaky breath. He hadn't done anything, hadn't said anything unusual but somehow, she felt the smallest spark of possibility.
As she finally stood to leave, Lara's message pinged on her phone: "How was study with the mysterious project partner? Don't tell me he's boring!"
Amara smiled to herself, slipping her phone back into her pocket without replying.
Boring? Maybe to some. But to her… Adrian Cole was anything but boring.
And as she walked out into the evening air, she couldn't help wondering—if one quiet study session could stir this much inside her, what would the next bring?